Mamochan
by MeowzieChan
Summary: A trip to China will leave its mark on the Senshi team, for good or bad.
1. Chapter 1

Hello all you folks out there! This is Meowziechan, writing for the second time. This fic is mostly some indulgence, and I haven't seen many fics dealing with what I'm planning to do here, so bear with me. This may bounce between tones for a bit, until I find one that's a nice happy medium.

And so it... begins.

**MamoChan**

**Chapter one**

* * *

><p>"Professor, I don's see what you wanted me to come along on your trip to China for." Mamoru Chiba was, for once, tired of his studies. "I know it's good for a history major like I am to get a feel for different cultures, but, well, all we've done so far is hike mountains."<p>

"Chiba-san, don't you know? There's a legend in China about these mountains. They say that there are Amazon warriors up here, and another group that worships the legendary Phoenix!" Professor Akiyama sighed, a dreamlike look on his face. "With your background in history, and mine in anthropology, think of what we could discover!"

Mamoru sighed dejectedly. After Usagi stopped Sailor Galaxia, the couple had thought that they'd be able to have some down time before The Cataclysm that the Senshi presumed would eventually lead to the Silver Millennium. No such luck, however, because once Mamoru returned from 'America', his anthropology professor whisked him off to China. After a week in the Byankala Mountains, Professor Akiyama's enthusiasm was still high. Mamoru's, on the other hand, was not.

"Here we are, Chiba-san! One of our first stops!" Mamoru's head snapped back to reality. He read the sign in front of him, which was, oddly enough, in Chinese, Japanese, and English.

"Welcome to the Cursed Training Ground, Jusenkyo. Enter at own risk."

Mamoru stared at the sign, turned to look at his professor, and then back at the sign. "Professor, what does it mean by cursed?"

"What are you doing here?" a young voice cried out. Mamoru and his wide-eyed teacher looked over towards the voice. A girl, who looked to be about the age Chibusa was when she first arrived in the current timeline, was running towards the two men. Behind her came a short, rather pudgy man, huffing and puffing as he tried to keep up.

The girl skidded to a halt in front of the two travelers, and began to recite a spiel she had clearly practiced many times before. "Welcome, honored guests, to the Cursed Training Ground of Jusenkyo, home to the Springs of Sorrow. While once a popular training ground for Martial Artists, it has since fallen out of favor. This is because, while it provides an excellent facility for balance training, the repercussions should one fall into the springs below are dire."

"Plum!" The man wheezed, having finally made it to the three. "What have I- (gasp)-told you about- (huff)-customer relations?"

"To make sure that they don't fall in…" the girl, who Mamoru identified as 'Plum' moaned. "But it would be so much _easier_ if you'd just tell people right off what the problem was with these springs, Papa!"

"This is amazing!"

Mamoru, Plum, and her father turned their heads towards the aforementioned springs, where Professor Akiyama knelt at one of the pools. His eyes had misted over slightly, and he was studying a sample of water in a vial. It appeared that he had poured a small sample onto a water-purity-testing strip, and was astonished at the results. "It's absolutely perfect! No microbes to speak of, no… well, anything! Its pure, untouched water! Mamoru, do you know what this could MEAN?"

Mamoru sighed, replying, "No, and quite frankly, I don't see how you could know either. Its just water, and you're no biologist. Now, would you please get away from the pool before something bad happens?"

The decidedly plump man that had struggled to catch up to his daughter started shaking as he figured out which spring the Professor was near. "Please, Honored Guest, Sir, please get away from there! It will be very bad if you fall in! Very bad indeed!"

The good professor looked over his shoulder, calling to the others, "What could happen? There's absolutely no pollution here, and since this water is so clear, I'd be able to see if there were any animals in there!" Professor Akiyama stood up, an expression of glee on his face. "I saw a settlement a ways off, and even as far away as that was, it would normally have polluted a spring like this at least somewhat!" He was now positively exuberant. "Just think about it Mamoru, think! The harmony between man and nature that must exist here! A town untouched by the growth of technology! We could have made a great discovery here!" He was so overjoyed at the thought of possibly discovering a new culture that he didn't notice that the ground under his feet was beginning to give way.

The brown-clothed man was now sputtering what seemed to Mamoru to be incoherent Chinese. Mamoru did have a fair knowledge of the language, but the guide wasn't making much sense. It was… something about curses, women and the Amazon? Or was it the Amazons? Either way, Mamoru could see that neither of his new companions would be able to get to the Professor in time, so he took off at a sprint to catch his still oblivious teacher. Three (or was it four? Surely not five…) years of experience at saving Usagi when she was about to be defeated by the monster of the day kicked in, and though he couldn't transform in front of non-senshi, he was still fast on his feet when he needed to be.

Right now, he really needed to be.

As Professor Akiyama realized just what was going on underneath him, Mamoru leapt towards his teacher, caught him, and managed to throw the wayward teacher to stable ground. Of course, Mamoru's momentum kept him going, straight into the pond.

* * *

><p>In the short amount of time this took to happen, Plum and her father, the Guide, watched the spectacle unfold. Living in Amazonian China, they recognized a feat of Martial Arts when they saw it, but the boy didn't carry himself like a martial artist. He certainly wasn't built like any they had seen, so they figured he couldn't be from Nerima, where Plum had found Ranma about a year ago. Plum vaguely remembered hearing about a large disturbance in Tokyo around the same time that the battle of Jusendo and Mt. Phoenix was occurring, but when Elder Cologne, the Elder's great grand daughter, and that strange boy with the glasses returned to Japan, they sent word back that they could not find anyone who could tell them what happened, save for the fact that something happened in the Juuban district involving a circus.<p>

Plum briefly wondered if there were also martial artists en masse in Juuban, but put it out of her head when their visitor surfaced. Plum had not yet memorized the exact curses that were on each spring like her father had, so she had to wait to see what happened to the latest victim of Jusenkyo.

* * *

><p>The Guide was muttering something about how he hoped that THIS one, at least, would have the right mindset to adjust. The boy that came with his father, the one who now turned into a Panda, took over a year to adapt, and still had bad luck with the curse. Prince Herb had a similar build in both of his forms, but being a member of the Musk tribe and raised away from women, he had… difficulty adjusting to the change. More so than most, if his desperate quest for that kettle was any clue. And then there was Mousse, from the village, as well as that strange fanged boy with the bandanna who still showed up on occasion… usually under the impression that he was elsewhere.<p>

As the newest member of the Cursed surfaced, the Guide wondered what this one would wind up looking like in his new form.

* * *

><p>Professor Akiyama didn't think anything at all. He had been knocked out by the landing from when Mamoru threw him, and thus, did not have the faintest inkling of what was going on.<p>

Of course, taking his earlier behavior into account, he probably wouldn't have realized anything was wrong at this point anyway.

* * *

><p>Mamoru surfaced from the water, gasping for breath. He reached the edge of the pond, and clambered out. He realized that he felt… somewhat off balance. That should have been his first clue. Shaking the water out of his hair, he walked over to the trio that was standing nearby… well, the duo that was standing and his professor, who was regrettably still on the ground. He briefly wondered if he had done that, and then noticed the Chinese pair staring at him… from a slightly lower angle than before. This should have been his second clue. Finally, Mamoru broke the silence. "Is… something wrong?" Noticing that his voice was an octave higher than usual, Mamoru Chiba finally realized that something was <em>very<em> wrong.

Meanwhile, back in the Minato ward of Tokyo, Juuban, to be specific, a meeting of the Inner Sailor Senshi was about to take place at the Hikawa Shrine.

Rei Hino, occasionally known as Sailor Mars, had been having a strange feeling of foreboding for the past few days. If she were a normal shrine maiden, she wouldn't have paid much attention to this. Of course, given that the last few times she had felt this way, the Sailor Senshi had been forced into battle with foes such as the Black Moon and the Death Busters, the senshi of fire had learned to report these feelings to Ami at the very least, if not to the other members of her team. Makoto could be trusted to be serious when she needed to be, but Minako and Usagi… well, they were a bit ditzy.

_At least Minako's got a game face in battle. Usagi's still so childlike, it's a wonder that she's still in one piece. _Rei thought, as the four guardians waited for their Princess to arrive. _No, that's not right, _she thought, sighing a little_. Ever since the battle with Galaxia, she's been more mature. Not that I can blame her for that, after she saw all of us…_

"Rei-chan?" Rei's head snapped back to the present.

"Huh? What?" Looking up, she saw the object of her ponderings in front of her. "Gyah! Usagi, when did you get here?"

"A few minutes ago. You looked like you were upset about something." Usagi's eyes started to quiver. "You've not mad at me for being late again, are you?"

Rei giggled a little at this, replying "Nah, not this time, dumpling head."

* * *

><p>Usagi was really glad that nobody was mad at her. After all that they'd been through, she didn't think she could stand it if she lost even one of her closest friends.<p>

"Anyway, now that we're all here, I guess I should tell you why I wanted you to come. Rei started, a shadow coming over her eyes. "I've been having those feelings again, the ones I get when we're about to be pulled into something big."

Usagi gaped. "But… but Rei, I thought that we had taken care of everything after the last battle! There can't be anything worse than Chaos was, there can't be!" The pigtailed one started tearing up for real.

Minako scooted over to Usagi's side, looking over at Rei. "Are you sure about this?"

Ami looked concerned. "Rei, if we're going to face another battle, why didn't you call the other Senshi here?"

Rei looked both embarrassed and a little ticked off. "Well, I tried to, but… Haruka and Michiru didn't answer when I called their communicators OR their home, and you know how hard Setsuna is to get into contact with. I figured they were on a trip somewhere, so I decided to let it be."

Usagi, her eyes still watering somewhat, was only halfway listening to this discussion. _I can't lose Mamoru again, I just can't. I won't let anything happen to him… not this time._ "Everyone…" she said, pulling out from under Minako's arm, "we can handle this." A hard edge clipped her voice from its normally bubbly self. "I won't allow anything to hurt you, to any of—KYAA!" A feeling pulled at her heart, and as the others clambered to her side, she felt something calling to her, to the part of her that was born in the Silver Millenium. It wasn't quite a sense of loss, like all the times she had seen her friends die, nor was it a sense of gaining something, like when she had been witness to the awakening of her fellow Sailor Senshi. It was… somehow…

Both.

* * *

><p>I know this is a bit short, but... I really hope that you enjoyed it. If you did, or even if you didn't, feel free to send me a critique!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Wow. Just... wow. I did NOT expect this much positive reception.

I love all of you. Seriously. Thank you.

Without further ado...

**Mamochan**

**Chapter two**

* * *

><p><em>China<em>

"Wh-what's going on here?" Mamoru sputtered. "Oh gods, what happened to me?" The newly female Prince (Princess?) of Earth sank to his, er, _her_, knees.

"Honored Guest, you have fallen into the Nyannichuan, the Spring of Drowned Girl." Plum stated matter-of-factly. "1500 years ago, a young girl drowned in this spring, and since then, anyone who falls into the spring is cursed to take the form of a girl."

'_This can't be happening... this can not be happening... Usako...' _Mamoru thought, images of a crying Usagi leaving him running through his head. "I can't go back home as a woman! Nobody's going to recognize me, and I've got responsibilities, I've got a girlfriend, I.. I..."

Plum's father, known to most simply as 'The Jusenkyo Guide', sighed. He'd seen this type of reaction many times before, and had come to expect it. "Honored Guest, please calm down. Help me get this man to my home, and I'll explain the curse in further detail while we wait for him to wake up." The Guide raised his hands in a placating manner. "There's less to worry about than you think, believe me. You're hardly the first to fall into the spring, and you almost certainly won't be the last."

Although he was still upset, Mamoru became numb at this comment. Hearing that this wasn't the first time that this had happened rendered her (him?) speechless, as did the rather... calm demeanor of both the young girl and the older man. Nodding mutely, (s)he bent down and took hold of one of Professor Akiyama's arms, as did the guide. Supporting the teacher on either side, the two remaining adults trudged to the small shack, while Plum walked on ahead.

* * *

><p>Once they had reached the Guide's home, Professor Akiyama was laid down on a cot, a damp cloth placed on his forehead. The scene was similar to one which commonly took place in Nerima, although Mamoru had no way of knowing this.<p>

In a small voice, Mamoru asked the guide, "So... you've seen this sort of thing happen before? It can't be that common, can it?"

Turning around from preparing a kettle of water, the guide casually spoke. "Oh, it's more common than we'd like. More and more people seem to be coming to the springs, either to train in martial arts, to punish members of their village, to find a bride..." he trailed off, thinking of the various groups that resided in the local mountains and in the Nerima ward. How so many oddballs congregated in just two areas was beyond him. Of course, he had no way of knowing what had happened in Juuban the past few years, as his experience was with the Neriman Wrecking Crew.

Mamoru was stunned at these comments, not knowing about what had happened in the Martial Artist ward of Tokyo over the past two or so years. The mention of "finding a bride" really threw him for a loop, and she wondered what sort of weirdos could exist outside of the dark forces that her (his?) girlfriend/fiancee/former rescuee had fought in the past few years. "That whole 'bride' thing isn't going to happen to me, right? Right?"

"Only if you're not careful," Plum spoke up. "Most people that the springs curse seem to be martial artists of some sort, and they tend to be drawn to each other. You seem like a pretty normal person, so you should be fine."

"Ugh..." A groan came from the cot, and the trios attention was drawn to its occupant.

Mamoru, who had been kneeling next to her teacher, hovered over the now conscious man. "Professor Akiyama? Are you alright?"

The woozy older man began sitting up, and looked at the speaker. "Do I know you, miss?"

Mamoru's heart seemed to skip a beat when he, er, **she**, was addressed as 'miss.' "Professor, it's me, Mamoru! Please tell me you're joking!"

"Don't worry, honored guest," the rather portly guide spoke. "Most people have trouble recognizing a curse from Jusenkyo before they know what happened, and well... your hair..."

Mamoru narrowed her eyes and looked at her shoulders. "What about my hair?" It didn't seem to have grown, so what could the problem be there?

"It's purple!" Plum piped up while standing on a step stool. She grabbed a pot holder, and took the handle of the now warm kettle.

"Purple...?" Mamoru muttered. _'Wait... King Endyimion's, er, __my__ hair was purple when we met him, er, me in the 30__th__ century... does that mean I was a girl then? I didn't look like a woman... but apparently that doesn't mean much anymore, with what Usagi told me about the Sailor... Star... lights...'_

The Professor looked between the three others, still a bit dizzy, and asked "Miss, how could you not know your own hair color? I mean, there aren't any mirrors here, I'll give you that, but you don't seem to be from this region."

"That's because I came here with _you_..." Mamoru whimpered. Normally, he would never have been so emotional, but suddenly morphing into another body was not something (s)he was used to at all. Outfits changing almost spontaneously? He saw that on an regular basis. Girls discharging energy to attack monsters that used to be common objects? Everyday occurrence where he was from. But cursed water? That was bizarre, even for the man occasionally known as Tuxedo Kamen.

"There's a way for me to change back, right?" Mamoru asked, her voice beginning to rise even higher. "Right?"

Taking the kettle from his daughter, the Guide nodded, and rather unceremoniously, poured the contents over the neo-girl's head.

"Gyaa! HOT!" Ignoring a slight tingle that went up his spine, Mamoru leapt to his feet. "I'm wet enough, thank you!" The once again thoroughly drenched guardian of the earth then noticed that his voice had gone back to normal. He blinked, looked down at himself, blinked again, smiled, and looked at his teacher...

To see that Akiyama had returned to a state of unconsciousness.

"Great."

* * *

><p><em>One week later<em>

_Haneda Airport_

_Tokyo_

"Mamo-chan's coming ho-ome! Mamo-chan's coming ho-ome!"

"Usagi..."

"Mamo-chan's coming ho-ome! Mamo-chan's coming ho-ome!"

"Usagi..."

"Mamo-chan's coming ho-ome! Mamo-chan's coming ho-ome!"

"Usagi!"

"Rei-chan, what is it?"

Rei sighed, saying, "We're at the wrong gate."

Usagi looked at the printout of the e-mail Mamoru had sent a few days ago, and then at the sign above them. Sure enough, they were halfway across the airport from where the two had been told to meet him. Her eyes widened. "Why didn't you just _say_ so?" she yelled, grabbing her friend by the sleeve and dragging the priestess along as she dashed off to the correct part of the building.

* * *

><p>After a few minutes of top-rabbit-running-speed, the pair finally made it, just as Mamoru was getting his single bag off of the baggage carousel. The blonde jumped up and down to catch her boyfriendfiance's attention, waving one arm as her other steadied her by resting on Rei's shoulder.

Looking towards the flailing arm, Mamoru grinned. _"Good to see that some things won't change."_ "Usako!"

He walked over to the pair, and grabbed Usagi in a one armed hug, his other arm being occupied by his bag. "It's great to see you again, Usako." Turning to Rei, he added, "And thank _you_ for making sure that she got here on time."

Usagi looked up from where she had been nuzzling his chest. "Hey! I wouldn't be late to see you!"

"We almost were, though..."

This comment from Rei provoked Usagi into sticking her tongue out at her raven-haired sometimes-rival. Of course, this led to retaliation on Rei's part, which, in turn, escalated into the rather common scene of the two almost butting heads.

Watching the two going at it again, Mamoru sighed. Yup, some things would never change.

* * *

><p>On the taxi ride home, Usagi started wondering why Mamoru was home already. Sure, it was great to have him home again, and she had missed him those two weeks, but it was still odd.<p>

"Mamo-chan?" She spoke up, a note of curiosity in her voice.

"Yes?"

Before she could second-guess herself, she voiced the question on her mind. "Did something happen while you were in China? You weren't supposed to come back for another two weeks."

Stiffening, Mamoru replied. "Well, something... weird happened... but, well, you told the other girls to meet us at Rei's, right?"

Rei looked over from her spot on Usagi's other side, saying "Yeah, Ami, Makoto, and Minako should be there, and Yuuichiro and Grandpa have learned not to disturb our meetings. We ought to be alone for whatever it is you want to tell us."

Mamoru sighed, muttering, "Good, the fewer people who find out about this, the better..."

"Find out about what?" the girls chorused.

"I'd... rather not talk about it just yet..." Mamoru moaned, a shadow passing over his face.

The rest of the drive to the Hikawa Shrine passed in silence.

* * *

><p>I can't believe that so many people have favorited, commented on, and story-alerted this little creation of mine! I'm really glad that so many people seem to have liked it, and never expected this sort of reception. It's trailed off, but I suspect that's because I've only had the one chapter up until now.<p>

Thanks to all of you!


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry for the unforgivably long wait, but technology problems and writers block got in the way. Now, without further hassle...

**Mamochan**

**Chapter Three**

* * *

><p><em>Hikawa Shrine<em>

"You think they're on their way?"

"Of course they're coming, Rei's with them. She wouldn't leave us hanging, and neither would Mamoru. Usagi, maybe, but not them."

"Hey, ease up on Usagi. She's gotten a lot better at being on time lately."

"Yeah, but you know what they say, Ami, 'time baits for nomads.'

"Thats 'time waits for no man', Minako."

"That too."

"Shh! I see them coming!"

"Yes, Luna."

* * *

><p>As Rei, Usagi, and Mamoru exited the taxi, the sole man of the group looked at the sky nervously. Clouds were starting to roll in, and they looked dark.<p>

But he didn't get time to really think about the implications that transforming before he had the chance to tell the girls about his little... incident... would have. The other girls, along with the two cats, jumped out from behind the columns of the archway, showering the arriving trio with confetti. "Welcome back!" shouted a chorus of female voices... and Artemis.

Brushing the little pieces of paper out of his hair, Mamoru managed to say "Uh, thanks. But, um, why the celebration?"

Minako, who was at the front of the pack, said "Well, our resident university student has come back from China without hassle! Sure, it was a little earlier than we expected, but at least we didn't have any devastating incidents this time, right?"

"MINAKO!" chorused the other four voices.

"What? It's not like you all weren't thinking it!" the blonde defended. Ami, Makoto, Luna, and Artemis all looked away at various points in space, not wanting to admit to anything.

Rei, having been in the uncomfortably quiet taxi, looked at Mamoru suspiciously. "Well, you were in an awful hurry to come back, weren't you?"

The pressure mounting, Mamoru looked back at the sky, now extremely concerned about the quickly darkening weather. Usagi looked up at him worriedly. "Mamo-chan... what aren't you telling us?" As she was about to say something else, a streak of lightning arced across the dark clouds.

Once the flash from the lightning faded from their eyes, the four guardian senshi could see that their leader and her fiancé were both dashing up the steps to the Hikawa Shrine. The thunder roared, promising a downpour of rain. The group followed their princess and her prince, each of them wondering why on earth Mamoru was running faster than Usagi.

* * *

><p>After mounting the stairs, Mamoru came to stand under the main house's awning. He looked around, and saw that the rain had just started to come down. Sighing in relief that he had dodged the current watery bullet, he watched as Usagi and the other girls dashed up the remaining steps.<p>

"Ma-mo-ru!" Usagi panted, rushing up to where Mamoru stood. "Why... didn't (huff) you wait (puff) for us?"

Rei nodded, adding "It's really rather rude of you to go ahead of your girlfriend, especially in the rain like this."

"W-well, it's just that... I guess..." Mamoru mumbled, showing none of his masked alter-ego's suave personality. "Look, can we just go inside, so I can explain things to you somewhere it's not pouring rain?"

From his perch on Minako's shoulder, a very miserable looking Artemis grumbled "Yes, could we be anywhere but out here?"

"Okay, okay, I'll go grab some towels and we can dry off inside," Rei said, closing the discussion.

* * *

><p>The group split up, the girls (including Luna) going to the large bathroom to towel off, and the men (that is, Mamoru and Artemis) went straight to Rei's room with a single towel for the cat. Mamoru, much to everyone else's anger, was still perfectly dry.<p>

Once the group was dry (or, in the case of the local Mau, only somewhat damp,) they met up in Rei's bedroom. This room had become a regular meeting place for the Inner Senshi over the past few years, and on the odd occasion that the more distant Outer Senshi made an appearance, the group discussions migrated to the sacred fire chamber. Since they primarily only got together with the other group when there were 'incidents' with random monsters popping up, this didn't happen very often. But that is a topic for another day, and another battle. For now, the challenge will be protecting Mamoru's dignity.

"So, Mamoru..." Ami started off the conversation. "We all thought you were going to be in China for a month. Why'd you come back so soon?"

"Well, that's kind of a strange story, and I'm not really sure how to tell it..." Mamoru said, somewhat dejectedly.

"Mamo-chan, you've been acting really weird since the airport. What's wrong?" Usagi asked. All those present looked worried, but Usagi most of all.

"Okay, I guess I'd better try to explain," Mamoru started to tell his tale, most of which we have already heard, but will hear again now. "Professor Akiyama took me out into the middle of no-mans-land in a mountain range—a long way off from civilization. We'd been out there for about a week, when we arrived at the first of his 'stops' along the way. You'd have thought he was a tourist, the way he was acting.

"Anyway, we came to this natural spring, with a lot of pools of water. There, a father and daughter who I guess were running the place came out, and tried to get us to leave, or at least not get much closer. That was weird at the time, but I guess I know why they were so worried now."

Mamoru sighed. He wasn't used to telling long stories like this; usually he worked behind the scenes of the group. His lecturing skills certainly weren't that great, even if they DID always seem to distract who- or what-ever the girls were battling.

"So, the two are trying to get us away from the water, but the professor didn't listen. I caught him before he fell into one of the springs, and wound up falling in myself."

"But what does that have to do with you coming home early?" Minako pried, leaning in with enthusiasm. "Were the springs cursed or something?"

Seven faces turned to look at the bubbly blonde. "Minako, you've been playing too many video games again..." Artemis moaned.

At the same time Artemis spoke, Mamoru sputtered out "How—how did you know?"

Seven faces turned to look at the prince of the Earth, sounding a flat chorus of "WHAT."

* * *

><p><em>Elsewhere, in the shadows<em>

"My lady, we have detected the Moon Princess and the Earth Prince. They are located in the Earth City of Tokyo."

"Thank you, Rhodonite. Biotite, tell me, how goes your task?"

"The attempts to revive those beings destroyed by the Princess and her soldiers have been met with success, my lady. We have almost perfected the method of tethering them back to this realm."

"Good, good. Iolite, have you found the records of The Fall?"

"Not as of yet, my lady. It seems that mankind has lost the memory of both the Silver kingdom of the Moon and the Golden kingdom of the Earth."

"Search more carefully, then. We must find out what happened in The Fall."

"Yes, my lady."

"I am returning to my quarters. Send for me when Azurite returns from her mission."

"As you wish, my lady," the three generals chorused.

Once the doors to her chambers closed behind her, the ruler of the small band of sorceresses knelt by a low shrine, placed before a mirror. At the shrine, atop a small. velvety pillow, was a single dark orb—all that she had been able to find intact at the ruins.

She gazed into the mirror. "Sister, can you hear me? I need guidance."

A smoky silhouette faded into view in the mirror, seeming to emanate from the reflection of the sphere. "Oh, my dearest Lady Agate, what is it that you seek?"

Agate stared into the mirror, saying, "Rhodonite has almost located the Prince and Princess. What should become of their guardians?"

The figure chuckled darkly. "They draw strength from the bonds they share with each other. Destroying them will not serve your purpose.

"You must isolate the soldiers and the Nobility from each other—body, heart, and soul.

"Avenge me, younger sister."

The kneeling Agate bowed deeply before the image. "It shall be as you say, my sister.

"I will avenge you... Beryl."


	4. Chapter 4

Oh my goodness. I never expected this story to continue this far-I expected to lose interest in writing it well before this point. But over the months since Chapter 3 was published, I've been working on fleshing out the backstory for the opponents, and working on outlines for the fourth and fifth chapters.

So, here we go!

**Mamochan**

**Chapter 4**

* * *

><p><em>Hikawa Shrine<em>

"WHAT."

Rei, bouncing on her knees, asked "So, you really fell into an actual cursed spring!?"

"What on Earth are you two talking about, there's no such thing as a curse," Ami said matter-of-factly.

At that, Makoto replied with "Ami. You are aware of how our lives have been going for the past few years, right?"

"Yes, of course!"

"So you do realize how it sounds for a girl who can fire bubbles and ice at monsters to say there's no such things as curses."

"...Oh."

"Girls, can we get back to my being right about what happened to Mamoru?"

"Thank you, Minako."

"So, I managed to get the professor out of the way in time, but I fell into the spring instead. When I climbed out, it took me a little while to realize that anything was wrong... but I guess it's not something that's WRONG exactly, just something that I'll have to deal with from now on... but I still think it's really weird..."

"Mamo-chan, what happened?" Usagi interrupted. "I've never seen you this shy before."

Sighing, Mamoru continued. "Look, I know I wasn't here for the last fights you guys had, bu tdo you remember what you told me about the Three Lights?"

"Yeah, they were Senshi who pretended to be guys here," Minako said, her chin resting on her hands. "It was kinda awkward when we found out, now that I think about it."

_Okay, that reaction makes talking about this just that much more tricky. _Mamoru looked around at the girls, all with similar expectant expressions. "Maybe I should just show you what happened. Rei, I hate to bother you, but could you get me some hot and some cold water?"

"Sure, Mamoru. But why-"

"It's just that it'll be easier to show all of you than to explain it, but the water is sort of the 'trigger' for the curse."

Shrugging at the other, equally confused, girls, Rei turned and left for the kitchen.

Looking at the least vocal participants in the discussion, Mamoru asked "Luna, Artemis, do you remember hearing about a place called Jusenkyo at any point in the past?"

"I think I might remember hearing something along those lines..." Luna scrunched up her face in concentration. "But, if you went there, which-"

"I'm back!" Rei called, returning with a tray holding a pitcher of water, a kettle, and several glasses. She then set the tray down on the low table.

"Thank you." Mamoru poured a glass of water from the pitcher, and lifted it over his head.

"What are you doing?" Usagi asked, looking at him with concern.

"I'm showing you what happened to me." _Please don't be mad at me for this. _The Prince of Earth then unceremoniously dumped the water over his head.

Expressions of shock spread across the room. Luna and Artemis were stoic, Makoto and Minako slumped down a bit, while Ami and Rei stared. Usagi's eyes started misting over a little.

Mamoru was now a girl, about a half-foot shorter than (s)he usually was. Now about Makoto's height, she was still tall for a girl. Her(?) hair was now a medium purple, and that stupid green jacket was now far too baggy for her. She was about as "stacked" as Haruka—which is to say, not at all.

Mamoru looked over to Usagi, beginning to panic at the look in the princess's face. "Usagi, it's still me, please don't cry, I can change b-"

"Eee! You're so cute!"

"...Huh?"

"Usagi," Ami asked, "Aren't you a little weirded out by this?" The soldier of Mercury was having difficulty wrapping her head around the water-based transformation that just happened.

"Well, yeah, it's a little weird seeing Mamoru as a girl, but it's still him right? Why should it matter what gender you are? You're still my Prince!" Usagi was virtually bouncing on her heels, directing the former to Ami and the latter to Mamoru.

Rei held up a hand, partly to shush Usagi, and partly as if she was asking a question in class. "Can I ask something?" Mamoru nodded. "What about you becoming Tuxedo Mask now?"

Sweating a little, Mamoru replied "I can honestly say that I don't know. I haven't exactly had any time to test that out, since I've been with... er, non-involved people since it happened."

From Ami's bag, the Mercury Super Computer beeped several times, calling attention to itself. Blushing furiously, Ami opened the palm-top, eyes widening when she saw the message on the screen.

"There's a monster sighting in the shopping district. We'd better get down there."

Nodding in agreement, the girls rose and ran off into the rain. Mamoru hesitated, and then, tightening her belt, followed them, while the cats remained at the temple.

* * *

><p><em>Juuban shopping district<em>

The rain continues. The girls have transformed in an alley, and begin to face off against the aggressor of the day.

Said monster was masculine in figure, wearing a draped toga with enormous dual-layered shoulder pads. He was winged, with tall, spiked, orange hair.

The monster was busy summoning whirlwinds to cause general mayhem in the plaza when the five Sailor Senshi arrived on scene. Sailor Moon was in her Eternal form, while the inner soldiers were in their Super forms.

Deciding that now was as good a time as any to give her speech, Moon shouted "Stop right there!"

No response.

"A-hem... I SAID, Stop right there!"

Havoc continues to be wrought. Mars begins to snicker.

"Say, doesn't it look kind of familiar?" Venus commented, looking carefully at the daily villain.

Flustered, Moon yells, "STOP-RIGHT-THERE-THE-PLAZA-IS-MEANT-FOR-EVERYONE-AND **WHY AREN'T YOU LISTENING TO ME!?"**

Unfortunately, all that this accomplished was drawing the monster's "fire". After being struck by a large whirlwind, the five girls were forced to scatter.

"Well, fine then!" Moon said, recovering her footing. "Girls, I need time to get my attack ready, can you buy me some time?"

Winking, Mars gave a thumbs-up, and shot off a Flame Sniper attack.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, a still-female Mamoru arrived in the same alley the others had used to transform. While lighting and energy beams were being fired off in the main street, the habitual late-arrival reached into air.<p>

Now, just where the girls kept their transformation pens, wands, or other assorted transformation paraphernalia when not in use was not something that any of the involved really understood. The needed item always seemed to appear in their hands when needed, with the exception Sailor Moon's assorted brooches. The same materialization happened with the rose that Mamoru used to become Tuxedo Mask.

Usually.

Flicking her hand in mid-air over and over, Mamoru tried to summon her rose. Being accustomed to arriving on the scene when the Senshi were in trouble, she didn't usually need to change right away, but it was incredibly distressing that she _couldn't_.

Back on the hectic field of battle, Sailor Moon had yet to use her finishing move, as the monster was targeting the majority of it's attacks on her. Dodging another whirlwind, she looked over to the aforementioned alley. A purple-haired figure was looking frantically from the battle to her hand, back and forth.

_Mamoru!_

"Cover for me!" Moon dashed towards the alley, while a Jupiter Oak Evolution roared down onto the winged creature.

* * *

><p><em>Come on, where is it? Come on, come on... <em>

The normally stoic Mamoru was now downright panicking, which, being a new feeling, was only causing further panic. A gloved hand grabbed her arm. "Huh?" She looked down.

"You should get out of here, if you can't change to Tuxedo Mask you're defenseless!"

Sailor Moon was holding onto Mamoru's arm. There was still a height difference between the two, but it was significantly less than it normally was.

"No, I can help!" the neo-girl sputtered.

"Mamo-chan, we're all stronger when we've transformed, you included. But our normal forms don't stand a chance!"

"I-I have to help somehow, though! I just can't find-"

"I don't want anything bad to happen to you. I won't LET anything happen to you." Moon's face was serious, as serious as when she faced any of the darkest enemies they had faced. "Please, just... just stay out of harms way, okay?"

With that, she ran back off into battle.

"But... that's supposed to be my line..." Mamoru murmured. Reaching out to hir fiancée, she gave one final flip of her fingers...

Which closed on a small, metallic object.

Astonishment on her face, Mamoru looked at what she now held in her hand. It was a small, tan pen with gold adornments, including a gold-colored cap, and a small orb enclosed in an oval. A circle with a plus sign was engraved on either side of the orb.

Gripping the pen, she closed her eyes. A phrase drifted through her head. Not a speech-like the ones usually given when she was a he-just... a phrase.

_Here goes nothing._

"Earth Power, Make UP!"

* * *

><p>(fan points to those who figure out where I got the monster from!)<p>

This is not the end of the Mask... as far as I have planned. We'll see.

CervantesOsis, if you're out there still, you may remember that you asked how "stacked" his girl form was. I hope I have answered your question.

(also updating a small bit in chapter 3 regarding knowledge of modern Earth.)

MeowzieChan


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